What is the real Zhong Kui like in history?

According to later books, Zhong Kui was ugly, with leopard head and leopard eyes, but he was a very talented scholar. He is proficient in all kinds of books, poems and songs, and he is also upright at ordinary times. He is not as afraid of ghosts as ordinary people. Around 7 12 A.D., Zhong Kui went to Beijing to study for the exam and wrote five articles "Yingzhou Waiting for a Banquet".

When the examiner saw Zhong Kui's works, they all said that the examinee was a wizard. Finally, the examiner agreed to position Zhong Kui as the first in Gong Shi. However, when Zhong Kui entered the palace for an exam, Qilu, then prime minister, saw Zhong Kui's ugly face, so he was disgusted. He spoke ill of Zhong Kui in front of the emperor, and the result of the palace entrance examination was that Zhong Kui was not accepted.

When Zhong Kui learned that he was rejected because he was too ugly, Zhong Kui was very angry. In a rage, his pants hit the pillars of the palace on the spot. Zhong Kui died on the spot because of the impact.

The legend of Zhong Kui:

Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty once had a high fever and dreamt of two ghosts. Kid wears shoes barefoot, steals a purple sachet, and the Jade Emperor runs around the temple. The dog and ghost wore a hat to show their arms, grabbed the kid, gouged out his eyes and ate it. Later, he told Tang Xuanzong that his name was Zhong Kui, and he died because he went to Chang 'an to be the first person to touch stones. Now he is willing to exorcise evil spirits in the world for the Tang Dynasty.

Tang Xuanzong was awakened! Wu Daozi, a painter, drew a picture of Zhong Kui catching ghosts according to the characters in his dream, and spread this picture around the world, so that everyone could stick it at home on New Year's Eve to ward off ghosts and evil spirits. This is the origin of "Zhong Kui catches ghosts". Now it has become a symbol of exorcism.